


Keep One Eye Open

by Beastrage



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, End Scene Spoilers, Gen, Post-Kingdom Hearts III, Secret Scene Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 05:16:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18308942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beastrage/pseuds/Beastrage
Summary: Riku encounters someone who should be dead. Xigbar encounters someone who reminds him of a long ago past.





	Keep One Eye Open

**Author's Note:**

> Coming here with Luxu-Riku parallels that apparently only I see. Oh well.

In this city of steel and glass, of a million and one lights, Riku never expected to run into  _ Xigbar _ , of all people. 

He carried, deep in his heart, a faint hope of finding Sora here. The reason he was here in the first place. But Xigbar? How would he have ever expected  _ him _ ?

The Nobody was supposed to be dead, for one thing. Both he and Sora had confirmed it, seen it happen. Watched those arrowguns vanish into Darkness. 

Yet, he was here. Wandering around carelessly, up and down the tall windows forming the nearby buildings. Acting the same way he always had, like gravity didn’t exist. 

“Hm. Wasn’t expecting you here already.” 

Riku jumped back. Xigbar! Right there, on the building right next to him. Standing sideways on the glass. He carried no weapons, only stood there. 

“But maybe I’m giving you too little credit. You’re here for something important, after all. Just like me. Wouldn’t miss that chance in the world.” 

“Whatever you’re doing, Xigbar...” Riku hissed out, leaving his words hanging. “I won’t let it happen.” 

Xigbar huffs, folding his arms over his chest as he glances away. “What’s so wrong about me finding my own Master? Aren’t you throwing everything away for yours?” 

“Sora’s not my Master.” 

A short laugh. “Keep telling yourself that.”

Riku glared, bringing up Braveheart in a ready position. “He’s my  _ friend, _ ” he spat. “Not that someone like  _ you _ would understand that.” 

Xigbar placed a hand over his chest dramatically. Still weaponless. “Oh, shots  _ fired.  _ You might have actually hurt my feelings, there.” 

“I thought Nobodies didn’t have feelings.” Riku’s eyes carefully watched Xigbar, not looking away for a single second. Not that meant much with someone like Xigbar, who teleported like it was going out of style. 

Xigbar leaped down, from the building. Landed right next to Riku. Who flinched, bringing up his Keyblade in a defensive swipe. 

Xigbar easily poofed out of the way, for lack of better word for his motion. And easily slid back into reality, right when Riku’s weapon was out of the way.

“Me, a Nobody? As if.” Xigbar turned his face, with his single remaining eye focusing on Riku. An eye, Riku couldn’t help but notice, was still as gold as ever. The gold of Xehanort, of Darkness. 

“A Nobody’s a body without a heart, right? Well, I’ve got plenty of heart right in here.” A single gloved hand tapped his chest once more. 

Riku narrowed his eyes. Looking for a Master...having a heart of some kind...still having yellow eyes... All of that, put together, made an unpleasant conclusion.

 

“I won’t let you bring back Xehanort!”

Riku tried another swipe, only for Xigbar to dance out of the way. 

“Xehanort? As if! No way I’m bringing that old coot back!” Xigbar cracked his neck, waving his hands around dramatically. “He’s of no use to me now.” 

“What?” Riku blinked. Then who was Xigbar bringing back, if not Xehanort? Who was this ‘Master’ of his? 

The Nobody (or was it Somebody, now?) grinned. All sharp teeth, almost fangs. “You have no idea how much you don’t know.”

Xigbar slid closer, almost liquid darkness in his black coat. “Here’s something to think about: will the kid still be the same person that left you?” 

Riku bristled. “He’ll always be Sora, no matter what happens to him. And I’ll always be there for him.” 

Xigbar snorted. Again. “Heh. Good luck with that mission.”

Riku shook his head. His hair was getting longer again, he couldn’t help but notice. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his Keyblade. “I don’t need your ‘luck.’ I’ll find him. I know it.” 

A gold eye watched the Keyblade Master’s face, unblinking. Examined him. A small smile found its way onto Xigbar’s scarred face, in apparent response to whatever he found. “You know, you remind of someone I knew, once upon a time.” 

Riku gritted his teeth. “I’m not here for stories, Xigbar. I’m here to-”

“Look for your beloved Sora, I know, I know.” Xigbar waved a hand airly. “Heard it once, heard it a thousand times. But humor me. You just might get something out of it.” 

Xigbar wiggled his fingers. “Still unarmed, see? No attacking you today.” 

_ Today _ being the key word there, Riku can’t help but notice. But it is true that Xigbar has no weapons. There’s been no sign at all of his signature arrowguns throughout this entire encounter so far. 

But there’s also no guarantee it’ll stay that way. So Riku doesn’t banish Braveheart, merely lowers it. Barely. 

Xigbar sighs. “No trust at all, for old Xigbar here?” He shrugs. “I can deal with that.”

“Talk.” 

Xigbar waves his hands around once more. “Alright, alright. Geeze, no patience these days.”

“Still not talking.” Braveheart glows. Just a bit, just along its edge. Enough to get Xigbar talking once more (like he ever stopped).  

“Once there was an apprentice. He looked up to his Master, like all good apprentices do. Thought his Master was the Light of his world. Did what his Master told him to do. And when his Master went missing, after using up his heart, looked and looked for him with all of his heart.” Xigbar smiled once more. “Sound familiar?”

“Sora’s not anyone’s master. And I’m no apprentice.” Riku snorted. “Find a better analogy, Xigbar. Maybe a story that actually fits your audience?”

“Yeah, maybe you’re right. Need a few more details to  _ really  _ understand the similarities there.” Xigbar tapped his fingers against his thigh. “You’ll do anything for Sora, just like that apprentice would do  _ anything  _ for his Master. That, you know, will take you to interesting places. It’s even taken you here, of all places.”

The Nobody(?) leaned in a bit closer. Not too close, kept back by the threat of Riku’s weapon still pointed in the direction of his chest. 

“How far will you go, Riku? How long will you wait, for  _ his  _ return?”

“As long it takes,” Riku said confidently. Remembered a year spend waiting for a sleeping Sora to wake, of months spend on the search. 

Yes, he would do what it took to get Sora back. No matter what.

Xigbar looked him up and down. “Funny, I think I actually believe that. Well, let’s call it quits for now, shall we?”

“Get out of here, Xigbar.”

Xigbar shook his head in mock sadness. “Harsh. But I’ll look for my Master and you can look for yours.” 

A sly grin. “May the best man win.”

 

One moment, Xigbar stood a couple feet away. More than a couple feet away, out of Braveheart’s reach. The next, he was right there, hand brushing Riku’s hair aside, lips nearly touching his ear. All before the Keyblade Master could react. 

One last whisper in his ear.

“May your heart be your guiding key.”  

Riku whirled around, heart racing in his chest. But Xigbar was gone. 

Like he had never existed in the first place. 


End file.
